By Florida Bill It was generally believed that President Trump had recordings of his conversations with the former FBI director, as well as with others with whom he has spoken as the nations 45th chief executive. With all the cannons aimed at him, it would make sense to take precautions whereever possible.
But President Trump surprised many with his announcement to inquiring newsmen that he did not tape any conversations with former FBI Director James Comey, whom he fired on May 9. Whatever government surveillance is going on, he quipped, he had no knowledge of it. He emphasized he personally had no tapes and did not record any discussions with Comey.
Comey and Trump are at odds over private conversations they had after Trump took office as President on Jan. 21 and before he fired Comey on May 9. On February 14, Comey claims that Trump told him to drop the investigation of General Flynn and pledge "loyalty" to him. President Trump has labeled Comey a "liar", and a "leaker" of confidential and privileged documents, and an obsequious phony playing to a biased media hell-bent on bringing him down.
Without any irrefutable recording of who said what, it will be up to an impartial arbiter, in this case, Special Counsel Robert Mueller, to decide who is telling the truth and who is fudging.
But as to Trump's use of a taping system, he has every right to record conversations, speeches and news conferences if he wishes to do so. Why not? There is a rich history of the use of tape recorders in the White House.
The pugilistic Trump may well be designing a taping mechanism. If not now, maybe in the future. He needs to protect himself against a news media which has abandoned any sense of objectivity and basic honesty. Just recently, CNN retracted a story about a Trump associate who allegedly made improper business connections with Russians. It was pure fabrication. Three CNN reporters were fired and the episode stands as an example of what Trump calls "fake news."
Recordings will become an important and essential part of the legacy of any president. After leaving office, a president can draw from an unassailable record as he reviews his days in office and writes his memoirs. Actual tapes will assist him in guaranteeing accuracy of controversial matters.
Since the 1930s, presidents have made use of recordings, some much more than others. Even casual chats with close advisers, as President Nixon discovered, are retrievable, depending upon circumstances. White House tapes are like old soldiers. They never die, only fade away.
Presidential taping began in 1939 under the direction of Franklin D. Roosevelt during the 3rd year into his second term. The word is that FDR disliked and distrusted the press almost much as does President Trump. He was engaged in a continuing battle with the news media, accusing it of distortions and misquoting him. Because of that, he initiated the taping of his meetings with the press as a means of protection against fabricated statements attributed to him and since then, the taped press sessions are pretty much routine. His successor, the feisty Harry Truman, inherited the practice, as well as did President Eisenhower. With Ike, he also recorded meetings in the Oval office via a hidden microphone inside a fake telephone on his desk.
President Kennedy increased the scope of recordings. JFK taped some 260 hours of meetings in the oval office and cabinet room. One of Kennedy's personal secretaries has said that the President wanted an accurate record for his memoirs and personal use after leaving office.
President Johnson made extensive use of recording devices. Johnson historians have said that about 10,000 conversations were recorded and beginning in 1993 portions have been released to the public. Exchanges with Martin Luther King Jr., Bobby Kennedy and Richard Nixon are among voices on the tapes.
Richard Nixon was a real fan of recordings and it did him in. The Nixon episode sent a signal of concern to his successors. Because President Nixon was a fumbler when it came to electronics, he made use of a voice activated system and in his six years as chief executive, recordings covered about 3,700 hours. One conversation with a close adviser contained a "smoking gun" which drove him to resign.
Not a whole lot is known about the use of recording devices in the White House while occupied by Presidents Ford, Carter, Clinton and the Bushes. No doubt they all sought to avoid any repeat of a taping backfire, but my guess is that it was used a good deal. Ronald Reagan did employ a secret system similar to Nixon's. In a 2011 interview, Reagan disclosed that he limited his recordings to official business with heads of state, and said that that was done chiefly to overcome inaccuracies from bad translators.
One interesting story is told of the use of tapes during the days of President Obama by author Mark Bowden. His personal recorder broke down during a private interview with the nation's 44th President, Bowden recalled in a speech. After the interview, he told his audience of how he lamented to Ben Rhodes, an Obama foreign policy adviser, that his recorder quit working and that the interview was of importance and that he needed the record to assure accuracy in his writings.
"Don't worry, we record everything in here," Rhodes told him. "We'll get you a transcript before you leave." It took 35 minutes, and I had the full transcript," Bowden said.
Should presidents record all conversations? Apparently, Obama did, and Trump ought to do so for his own protection. Being President is a tough job. The 45th president, Donald Trump, can use all the protection he can muster to defend himself against his political enemies.
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